Kennedy Calls on More Than 250 Hospitals to Improve Food Offerings
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is calling on over 250 hospitals nationwide that have already signed a voluntary pledge to improve the healthfulness of food served to patients, employees, and visitors. The pledge encourages reducing ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks,…
Tucson, AZ, October 27, 2026 —
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is calling on more than 250 hospitals nationwide to improve the healthfulness of food served to patients, employees and visitors. The hospitals have already signed a voluntary pledge, according to the information provided.
The pledge encourages participating hospitals to reduce ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks and sodium in the food they serve. It also encourages them to increase fruits, vegetables, whole grains and minimally processed proteins.
The available information does not identify the hospitals or specify when they signed the pledge. It also does not describe particular changes already made to menus, set targets for reducing or increasing specific foods, or provide a timeline for implementation. The pledge is described as voluntary; no enforcement measures or consequences for hospitals that do not make changes were provided.
The call is directed at hospitals that have already signed, rather than described as a new pledge open to additional institutions. The information does not include a statement from Kennedy, details about how the pledge will be tracked, or figures estimating the food-related changes expected across the participating hospitals.
As a result, the stated commitments set out broad categories for change but do not establish, in the information available, how individual hospitals will interpret or measure them. Further details about participating institutions and implementation were not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Justin Boggs on www.kgun9.com, see more information here.
